How to Become an Exogeologist

There are many ways to become an exogeologist. First, you must have a strong interest in geology and astronomy. No matter what career you have, you have to be passionate about it. If you love identifying rocks and formations, learning about the planets, and looking at the stars (like I do), then exogeology is the perfect field! If not, I’m sure you’re talented in some other field.

Some classes that you could take to learn more could include geology and astronomy classes, and some colleges have courses on exogeology, astrogeology, or planetary science! The University of Arizona even offers a degree program in planetary science.

Are you still a kid? There are a lot of fun hobbies that will help you become a professional exogeologist, and you can start now!

Some of these hobbies are:

Reading. Read lots and lots, about geology, astronomy, and exogeology. There are a bunch of great NASA websites to look at, too.

Rock collecting. Keep a rock collection of all the rocks you find at home, on vacation, and even from gift shops. Just don’t take any from national parks, but go ahead and look at rocks wherever you see them. There are many fee-dig sites around the world, like the Arkansas Diamond Crater, where you can pay to find minerals you can keep.

Stargazing. Look at the stars and the Moon, and try to find planets. Research your favorite things in the sky. Go to observatories to learn more about astronomy.

Do whatever sounds like the most fun! As long as you’re learning something interesting, you’ll be a great scientist!

No matter your age, here are some more things you could do to learn more:

Join an astronomy club or geology club. It’s great to hear what others know about topics you’re interested in!

Visit observatories. Wouldn’t it rock to actually see what astronomers do? Since astronomy is a big part of exogeology, observatories are great places to go.

Visit science museums (I love these!).

Go to different geologic formations, like Meteor Crater or whatever’s near you. Visiting caves, canyons, and great rivers are also fun ways to learn about geology!

On your next vacation look out for telescopes and observatories to visit (they are often marked on maps and highway signs), and look at the rocks to try and figure out what they are.